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Sunday, July 10, 2016

I didn't have the best lighting for makeup photos in the Neiman Marcus Café, but I wasn't going to let that stop me from getting photos of the Le Rouge Collection N°1. The eye shadow quad shown directly above is the one that has drawn all the buzz. The entire collection is eliciting attention because of its emphasis on red.

Chanel's new Global Creative Makeup and Colour Designer, Lucia Pica, calls it more than a color, it's a statement of life. Red inspired her passionate debut with Chanel. "I am obsessed by the color red," she said. "For me, there is strength and emotion, warmth and disruption in the color red." There is an idea of the symbolism of red and a red undertone that runs through the entire fall collection.

Chanel Les 4 Ombres Multi-Effect Quadra Eyeshadow in Candeur et Expérience ($61) scared me at first glance. I was immediately smitten by the three neutral brown shades, light brown, deep brown, and warm brown. However, because my eye allergies have been patch tested, and I'm allergic to red dye, and I don't know which one, red scares me.

Freba Slimanzada, Chanel's makeup artist at Neiman Marcus Tysons Galleria, immediately suggested we use it as a blush. I jumped onboard. I thought that was a superb idea.

The lighting in the store is abysmal for close-up photos. Just as well. I had just washed my hair, and when I stepped out of the house to go over to Neiman Marcus in 95 degree heat with humidity to match, my hair decided to frizz. Nevertheless, I wanted a photo to show you how her creativity in using the quad looked. I guess I could have smiled, but I was concentrating on looking down so you could see the eye shadows.

Freba used the light brown all over the lid. Then she applied deep brown in a "V" shape in the outer corners of my lids, bringing the V up toward my eyebrows much higher and darker than I usually do (made for a better photo). She used the warm brown, the darkest brown, as an eyeliner on my upper and lower lash lines. Then she used the deep brick red shade as a blush. It looked like a perfect fall shade. We didn't fool with mascara or other makeup. We just focused on my eye shadow and blush, using this new quad. My friend and Chanel account executive brought the quad over especially for this test drive, so it was our centerpiece for the day.

I thought the "finished product" looked really good - edgier than I usually wear, but it certainly put a focus on my eyes. I hope you can see that at least one of those browns has a slight red tinge in it. At first, I thought I was imagining it, but after studying it in different lighting scenarios yesterday afternoon, I was sure. I think you can see it in the photo above.

Over the next week, I'll be showing you other photos of the Fall 2016 Collection, which will be available by August. I know you have been waiting to see the first Chanel collection by Lucia Pica. Her coming out party is drawing compliments from all over the globe.

21 comments:

Bark and autumn leaves--a woodland delight :-) Seeing the actual product, even in department store light, has me more excited than ever to see this up close and in person. I love the red undertones and that russet red is even more beautiful than I thought it would be. For me, all four shades are totally wearable. I'm already planning my eye looks! Whoa, there, Eileen. First you have to buy the palette! LOL

This might be a bit edgier than what you're used to, Charlestongirl, but it's good to try something new and it looks flattering and contemporary on you. Predictable can be comforting and expedient, but it can also be boring and so it's nice to shake it up now and then. I think this is definitely a keeper for you; especially when we shift gears into autumn. In general, Cahnel does beautiful fall collections. Last year's was a knock out and I have the feeling this year's will also be a huge success.

CG, I am delighted you did this fabulous Chanel "test drive!"" My eldest son and his family are in NYC from Hong Kong for the month of July, and drove up to VT to spend a few days with us. Wonderful surprise! My daughter-in-law saw the fall Chanel collection in NYC and was trying to explain it to me. I called Chanel to see why it is not online, and they said it has not launched yet. Very disappointing! I love the way the colors look on you, CG, very flattering, indeed! I will be in NYC next weekend, and my daughter-in-law is taking me to wherever it is she found it! I am very excited, especially now that I see your photo and the photo of the eyeshadow set. It does look a bit out of my comfort-color range, but my daughter-in-law said the Chanel makeup artist blended the colors together beautifully! Not a surprise at all for Chanel! :)

It's really nice when you try something you never thought would work and surprise! it looks great. They look beautiful on. It's a pretty palette but I'm not so excited...I bought the Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance palette before I saw this and it has similar colors which are not my usual nudes and taupes lol. So far no reaction to the reds in that palette phew!

Eileen, this quad is definitely an autumn palette. I think I can recreate it without buying it...all except for the brick red. However, I remember having a brick red Fluid Sheer. I'll have to look for it.

Thanks for the compliment! It was certainly a look outside my comfort zone.

Sandra, these shades do blend well. The AE was wearing it, including the red, blended on her lids, and she looked great. She told me that Chanel also wants to broaden their color range to appeal to ethnicities other than Northern European.

Thanks for posting these photos. The eye makeup looks quite good on you. I love warm reds, browns, oranges - so I am looking forward to seeing (and hopefully buying) palette. Are the eyeshadows matte? They look matte in the photos.

CG the shadow looks great on you. Your eyelashes are amazing. Am sure you will be able to recreate from your stash. Any red in shadow is a problem for me as well. I know you will probably not be showcasing the red lippies from the collection but I have become obsessed with them. The problem for me will be just picking one.Frances

Thank you for posting this so we can see what is coming. I love reds and am looking forward to viewing the whole collection. You always look lovely and so elegant in clothes, jewelry and makeup. Theresa

Frances, I took photos of all the red lipsticks. I had a photo session set up in the restaurant. We attracted some attention. :)I'll post them this week. I didn't swatch them. That would have taken too long to run outside to take swatch photos.

Chanel has really been giving us quality quads for the most part over the last few years. I love that you showed all of us how it can be executed. I've been pondering the YSL quint-can't remember it's name- but it's new and has red in it. I might have issues with red dye too. Certain purples make my lids itch.

About Me

Charlestongirl, a Virginia baby boomer, has a successful left-brain
business career, but her heart belongs to her right brain, which loves
the beauty industry, antiques, jewelry, gardens, and the finer things in
life. She loves sharing her extensive (and expensive) experience with
beauty products with others and hopes she can help you choose products
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